MOTOGP ROUND 5, CATALUNYA, SUNDAY JUNE 5

Crutchlow earns best ever MotoGP finish in tricky conditions!

DANI PEDROSA, REPSOL HONDA
Race Position: DNS          Championship Position: 4th

“I MUST REST FOR A WHILE AND RECOVER PROPERLY”
Dani Pedrosa was forced to sit out the MotoGP race at Catalunya, which his team mate Casey Stoner duly won from Yamaha Team mates Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies. The Spaniard had surgery on the 18th May to repair a fractured right collarbone caused during his crash in the Le Mans race; it was hoped that through rehabilitation he would be able to race in Spain, however, due to the bone healing slower than anticipated he has been forced to follow a more conservative treatment. How the injury heals from this point on will determine the timetable for his return to competition.

“After France, I had surgery to stabilise the fracture of my right collarbone and hoped to be ready for Barcelona. I pushed myself as best as I could but I feel that my collarbone is not yet ready. I think I must rest for a while and recover properly. Since early this year I’ve had many problems and operations and I really believe I must stop now and let this heal properly. I would love to be in Montmeló with all the fans that follow me but for me if I’m on track, I’m there to fight for victory and offer them a good race. I feel that is not possible at the moment and therefore the most sensible thing is not to compete. Despite all the problems I had earlier in the season, this year I felt very strong and I was aware that I could beat my opponents.”

CAL CRUTCHLOW, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: 7th          Championship Position:  10th

“NOBODY CAN RIDE THIS PACKAGE HARDER…”
Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team rider Cal Crutchlow heads to his crucial home race at Silverstone this weekend brimming with confidence after he stormed to a career best MotoGP result at Catalunya. Starting from the second row of the grid, Crutchlow quickly gained momentum on Bridgetone’s hard rear tyre and a series of consistently fast laps saw him easily reel in the factory Ducati of Nicky Hayden; he eventually passed the American on lap ten and was able to pull away, despite some nervous moments from the halfway stage as spots of rain started to fall on the circuit. Crutchlow was preparing for his first experience of the flag-to-flag format, but the light rain abated and he rode to a brilliant seventh place.

“That’s my best result in MotoGP and of course I’m happy, but I’d rather have got a result like that in a more entertaining race. It was just a test of concentration for most of the race once I’d passed Nicky and it was quite lonely. I caught him really quickly but once I got by I’d used up my rear tyre trying to chase him down because I struggled for grip after that. When the spots of rain came it was quite difficult. The white flags were being waved like there was a monsoon but there was only rain in the last three corners. Part of me was looking forward to having a flag-to-flag race because it might have given me a chance of fighting with the group at the front, but the rain never got worse than a few spots on the visor. Sixth to eighth position is where I’m at the moment but it is a good confidence boost as well to finish as the top non-factory rider. Nobody can ride this package harder than I am and I'm looking forward to Silverstone.”


COLIN EDWARDS, MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3
Race Position: DNS         Championship Position: 13th

“I DEFINITELY DON’T LIKE WATCHING ON TV!”
Edwards quickly returned to the Catalunya circuit, having undergone successful surgery to insert a titanium plate and 13 screws in the right collarbone he broke in a heavy crash during Friday’s second free practice session. He had already gained close to full movement in his right shoulder and in a brave attempt to continue his proud record of never missing a race in his MotoGP career, planned to start the 25-lap clash and retire after two laps. But after medical checks prior to the race, medical staff declared him unfit to start, though the 37-year-old is confident he will have no problems riding at Silverstone.

“I’m a little bit disappointed with the decision not to let me ride because while it’s not a lifelong ambition never to miss a MotoGP race, it was a run I was pretty proud of. I understand the decision but my shoulder feels great. Dr Xavier Mir has done an amazing job on my collarbone because it was smashed, but it was never my intention to do the full race. I just wanted to start, do a couple of laps and pull in. I only considered it because I was here in Barcelona and it seemed pointless breaking the streak. But I’m too big and too old to get upset and I’m going to rest up now and concentrate on getting ready for Silverstone. I know I can race next weekend and I'm already looking forward to it. I can't remember the last time I missed a race and I definitely don't like watching on TV!”

NICKY HAYDEN, MARLBORO DUCATI
Race Position: 8th         Championship Position: 6th

“I THOUGHT I COULD DO BETTER THAN THAT…”
Nicky Hayden qualified in 8th place, and that’s how he finished the race after getting a good start; he rapidly encountered rear grip problems and could not hold the pace of the riders ahead of him.

“I thought I could do better than that. I actually got a good start and the tyres came right in, so the first couple laps I thought we might be on for a good result. We used up the tyre really quickly though, and almost immediately I was spinning a lot, especially in the long corners. We had some ideas to maybe help that, but we couldn’t try them in the morning because it was wet, and it was too much of a gamble to try in the race. The rest of the bike felt really good. When the raindrops came, you definitely had to stay on your toes. I ended up in eighth, where we qualified, which I’m not thrilled with since normally we’ve been able to move up in the races.”

Hiroshi Aoyama crashed out and did not make the finish on his Team San Carlo Honda; he now lies 8th overall in the title chase. Czech rider and Karel Abraham finished 10th and moves up to 12th in the championship standings.

Round 6 of MotoGP is at Silverstone, Sunday June 12.

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